


younger now

by jenhyung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta, Minor Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Minor Qian Kun/Wong Yukhei | Lucas - Freeform, No Plot/Plotless, Pointless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 03:57:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17717609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenhyung/pseuds/jenhyung
Summary: Youngho has a case of birthday blues. - Taeil/Youngho (Birthday!AU)





	younger now

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday, youngho!
> 
> warnings: slight angst, making out (just a little)

A week before his birthday, Youngho tells Taeil that he wants to feel young again.

“You’ve some nerve saying that to me,” Taeil grumbles, planting his foot flat against Youngho’s thigh and giving it a little push. He curls towards Youngho’s chest anyway, feeling the Youngho’s cool skin against his cheek, “You’re not old.”

“Neither are you,” Youngho says, securing Taeil with an arm around the older boy’s shoulders. He lets his free hand roam along the hidden expanse of Taeil’s side, kissing Taeil’s crown when he feels Taeil shiver under his touch. “I just mean – what about we do something exciting this year? Together?”

Taeil hooks his legs higher up Youngho’s waist, very much trying to dissolve right into Youngho’s very being. “You don’t want to go out for dinner anymore?”

“We have dinner together every day,” he hears Youngho mumble.

Taeil squeezes Youngho’s bicep, leaving his hand there as a sort of weight. He knows Youngho threads lightly on things like these – he never wants Taeil feeling upset or worried about celebrations and gift-giving, no matter how often Taeil insists on doing so. He never wants it to seem like Taeil doesn’t already do enough, never wants Taeil to doubt that he’s doing all he can and that he’s the best.

“Do you want to spend it with a couple of friends then?” Taeil remembers how the bunch of them used to hang out every night after hours of block classes and practicum. It’s so much different now that they all have jobs and their own lives to live. He listens to Youngho breathe, “I could call Taeyong and the rest to see if they’ve Saturday free?”

Youngho mulls the suggestion over, “But I want to spend it with you too.”

Taeil tries not to scoff, “You just said we spend every day together.”

“I mean – ” Youngho sighs. He pushes Taeil down on his back before crawling over to hide in Taeil’s arms instead. “I just feel weird about it, I guess.”

Taeil frowns at the ceiling. His hands float naturally to Youngho’s hair, smooth and fluffy between his fingers. It’s a dark shade of brown, a stark contrast to when Youngho had blonde hair during the early years of college and all the bleaching had the hairs too fine and coarse. Even after endless boxes of black hair dye and Taeil’s hands seemingly permanently stained gray, Youngho’s hair never moved a shade darker than the work-appropriate brown he has on now.

“Weird about what?”

“Don’t know.” And muffled into his shirt, “I haven’t seen everyone in a long time.”

That is true. Taeil thinks the last time he’d seen them all in the same room was Yuta’s birthday the year before, a whole three months ago. It’d been at a fancy Japanese restaurant Yuta wanted to try and Jaehyun was plenty generous with his new promotion at work (both Taeyong and Youngho slipped Yuta a hundred-dollar bill each to cover Jaehyun’s bleeding wallet). It was a fun night and Taeil remembers it being one of the best nights he’s had in a long while. Sure, he loved it more when it was just him and Youngho out on a movie date or a quiet dinner with just them two, but he liked meeting the others too.

He enjoyed listening to Doyoung brag on and on about Taeyong’s new exhibition coming up (that they all agreed to go to over the summer), laughed the loudest when Yuta bet Youngho he couldn’t make it to the end of the stoplight first (Yuta is a soccer player and Youngho should never bet against him ever again), watched fondly when Jaehyun tried to tip the waiter discreetly (but ended up fumbling with the bills when he noticed the entire table watching him closely).

It’s hard to justify missing the past when everything’s still here. Taeyong and Doyoung live in a two-room apartment just two streets away and Yuta and Jaehyun in a loft down four streets in the other direction. Everyone’s just been especially busy lately and finding time where all of their schedules align is just impossible. They meet with other friends too, from work and whatnot, but it’s different, he supposes.  

Taeil understands that Youngho appreciates social interaction more than he does. He knows Youngho would prefer nothing but to stay home on a Sunday just so he could sleep in Taeil’s arms, but he also knows that Youngho needs to get out sometimes to recharge and he needs Taeil to be there too. Like a puppy, really.

And Taeil doesn’t mind a single bit, not even the fact that Youngho practically embodies Big Bird when he’s walking down Sesame Street, knowing everyone’s name and life story. He loves going out with Youngho and it doesn’t matter where they go, he just wants to spend all of his days with the love of his life.

“Why don’t we go to that laser tag place you wanted try out?” Taeil asks. He feels Youngho sigh sleepily against him. “I could set a date up and have everyone come down for it?”

Youngho doesn’t say anything to that. He doesn’t move either, and if it weren’t for his thumb drawing concentric circles on Taeil’s hip, it would’ve been fine to assume that he’d already fallen asleep.

“Do you want to go laser tagging?”

Taeil laughs, “Not entirely.” Youngho makes a disgruntled noise against him. “But it’s your birthday, babe, if you want to celebrate then let’s do it. I want you to be happy on your special day.”

“I don’t want to _celebrate_ exactly,” Youngho mumbles. If Taeil weren’t so drowsy with sleep, he would be jabbing Youngho in the ribs and questioning why he’s playing hopscotch with something so trivial. “I just – I don’t know.”

Taeil tugs on Youngho’s hair to have him look up. He kisses Youngho softly to try and rid the worry lines festering on his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Taeil cards his fingers through Youngho’s hair. He remembers how it used to be long enough for a tiny ponytail. Youngho closes his eyes, and Taeil worries at how tired he looks all of a sudden. “Youngho?”

It takes a moment. Taeil sees Youngho struggling to find the words, struggling to get it out. Eventually, Youngho moves to have his ear over Taeil’s heart. Softly, he wonders, “I shouldn’t be sad over a birthday, right?”

Taeil bites on his lip and tries not to rush into assuming something’s terrible happened.

Youngho beats him to it, “I’m not _sad_.” He reevaluates that, “It’s just – birthday blues.” Taeil holds onto Youngho firmly and waits for more, “I’ve just been thinking about how busy it’s been at work.”

As an accounts executive at one of the city’s busiest advertising firms, Youngho works all around the clock. There’s no line between work and home on some days, and it’s tough when meetings are back-to-back and Youngho’s headlining them all. Taeil knows Youngho needs space during days like these, and he’s just happy to have Youngho in bed with him every night.

“Doyoung asked to meet a couple of days ago,” he goes on to say. “I couldn’t find a free day for lunch and I told him I’d reschedule, but I never did.”

“He’s been busy too,” Taeil tells him. He’d seen Taeyong the weekend before and the pink-haired artist was practically bursting with compliments over the launch of the clothing brand and line Doyoung’d been tasked to promote. He kisses Youngho again, “Are you worried over that?”

Youngho burrows to hide his face in Taeil’s neck, arms sliding to hug Taeil tight. “I just think I haven’t been _present_ present lately.” It’s full of unneeded guilt when he says, “I haven’t been home early in days either. I – miss you.”

Taeil blinks, “I thought this was about you wanting to celebrate your birthday?”

“I do,” Youngho wiggles to lie between Taeil’s thighs. He speaks into Taeil’s neck, “But I miss you too. I think… maybe I just want time to slow down a little.”

With nothing to say to that, Taeil angles Youngho to kiss him proper. He pours _I’ll always be here_ and _I love you_ into the kiss, wishing with an unexpected desperation that he hopes Youngho receives.

“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Taeil says. He coddles Youngho and makes a mental reminder to make a few calls in the morning, “Let’s celebrate your birthday with everyone, okay? I think we’re all due for a catch-up and I’m sure Yuta and Jaehyun would love laser-tagging.”

Youngho snorts, “And Taeyong and Doyoung?”

Taeil shrugs, “They’ll live.”

“Thank you,” Youngho slurs, cuddling closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

x

 

Taeil manages to rent one of the arenas for the six of them on the afternoon of Youngho’s birthdays. One of his younger colleague at work, Kun, has a boyfriend working temporarily at a building that houses laser-tagging and escape rooms and virtual reality courses and it’s with a staff discount that he manages to convince the rest of their friend group to go.

They meet Xuxi there, a tall boy with bright eyes and dark hair hidden under a backwards baseball cap. It’s neon orange and it matches the glow-in-the-dark streaks of paint on his cheeks that crinkle when he smiles wide. He introduces the locker rooms and gears to the six of them, his excitement and energy clearly boundless when he explains the rules of the game.

He leaves them to get suited up and instructs for everyone to meet by the entrance in two teams of three. Each player has a vest and a gun linked to it – team that scores (shoots) the most points win.

“I can’t breathe.”

It’s Doyoung. He’s standing by the lockers with his hand on the frame while Taeyong busies with Velcro-ing his vest on tight, emphasizing Doyoung’s trim waist. Already ready to go, he moves quickly, pink hair a flurry as he helps Doyoung ready up.

“You’re so dramatic,” calls Yuta from across the tiny room. On that side, he’s already familiarizing himself with the laser gun, speaking in low tones with Jaehyun, very possibly mapping a way annihilate the other four off the court.

“You’re so annoying,” Doyoung calls back. He ignores Yuta’s eye roll and focuses on Taeyong instead, mumbling questions and even more likely trying to find a way to get out of running around. Any sort of physical activity is a no-go on a weekend and it’d taken a lot of guilt-tripping for Doyoung to be here willingly (reluctantly).

“We’re already here, baby,” Taeyong says. He tugs on Doyoung’s vest to make sure it’s tight, and Doyoung awards him a grateful kiss when he steps away, “You’ll be fine.” To everyone else, Taeyong announces, “I don’t want to be on his team.”

“Wha – _hey_!”

Yuta rushes to bring a finger to the tip of his nose, “Not it!”

Youngho seconds it, “Sorry, Doyoung!”

“I thought we were going to play together,” Jaehyun sulks, gently jabbing Yuta’s arm with the butt of his gun. “Now I’m definitely going to be on the losing team.”

Taeil isn’t offended, still busying himself with the unacceptable number of straps around his waist. Beside him, Doyoung rolls his eyes and stalks towards the entrance, Taeyong bumbling behind with a cheeky grin.

“Need a little help?” Youngho murmurs, replacing Taeil’s hands with his own. Yuta and Jaehyun amble past, and Taeil hears Jaehyun beg for mercy. Yuta pretends not to hear. “Ready?”

Taeil runs a hand through his hair, a little sticky from the dollop of wax he used in the morning. “You’re going to shoot me, aren’t you?”

Youngho grins, “I mean, if you’re standing right in front of me…”

“You’d shoot me? Really?”

“I’m positive Yuta’ll _actually_ shoot me if I don’t.”

“He’s a softie,” Taeil defends. “He wouldn’t shoot Jaehyun.”

Youngho shakes his head, “You give our friends too much credit, honey.” He picks up a laser gun from the racks and hands one to Taeil, giving the shorter boy a good stare. He licks his lips, “You look hot.”

“Youngho.”

“You look _hot_.”

Taeil snorts, “I’m sure I do with this stinky vest on.”

“You do.” The corners of his mouth turn up into a devious grin, “Very Lara Croft.”

“ _Funny_.” Taeil pushes past Youngho, fiddling with the gun. He’s staggering towards the entrance when Youngho pulls him from behind, spinning him around and planting a kiss to his lips. He kisses back, leisurely enjoying the heat of Youngho’s lips on his.

Without moving too far, Youngho mumbles, “Thank you.”

Taeil laughs, even with the vest itching his neck. “Are you feeling any younger?”

“I always feel young when I’m with you.”

“Why you _little_ – ”

Youngho dodges Taeil’s fist with expertise that can only come from experience, grinning when he manages to manhandle Taeil for another kiss. “But I mean it,” he mumbles between kisses. Taeil shivers when Youngho tugs playfully on hit lower lip, “I think I just needed a break from everything and this – this is helping.”

“Love you,” Taeil says, kissing Youngho soundly.

All throughout lunch, Taeil’d been watching how animated Youngho’d been, smiling from ear to ear when the waitress brought a chocolate fudge cake out, hiding shyly when everyone sang him a _Happy Birthday_. It’d been a relief to see Youngho climb over the little birthday blues hump, and Taeil is glad to see Youngho reenergized.

“C’mon, lovebirds!”

Youngho releases Taeil after another kiss, smiling fondly when Taeil stumbles towards him. “Love you, baby.”

“Yeah.” Taeil holds the plastic gun to his chest, “Please remember that when we’re in the arena.”

Youngho’s smile is downright evil when he snickers, “Not a chance, love.”

 

x

 

Taeil understands now why the vests are stinky. He’s been on the run from Yuta and his horrifying speed, hiding between cardboard walls and tight corners and he is _sweating._ He hears Youngho and Taeyong yelling at one another somewhere off to the left and Yuta running after Jaehyun to gun him down mercilessly.

It’s in a tiny box that Taeil finds refuge, holding the gun close and trying not to breathe too loud.

More than five minutes pass and Taeil thinks it’s too quiet.

_Clomp. Clomp. Clomp._

Taeil opens his mouth when he sees Jaehyun turn the corner towards his hideout but clamps it shut when Yuta rounds the corner with his gun out before him.

Immediately, Jaehyun freezes.

“Any last words, sweets?” Yuta grins, aiming the gun straight for Jaehyun’s chest.

“I love you,” Jaehyun says, raising his palms to the ceiling. Yuta isn’t fazed. “I’ll help you kill the rest off! I’ll even switch sides! I’ll be a traitor!”

Taeil reminds himself never to peg Jaehyun against Yuta ever again.

“That’s not how this works,” Yuta snorts, keeping the aim right. He takes a step closer to Jaehyun, “And I love you too, baby.”

“Please?” Jaehyun stands his ground. “It’s only been five minutes and I haven’t been able to take anyone out – I’ll let you kill me off later!”

Yuta pretends to think it over, “No deal.”

And just as he’s about to shoot Jaehyun down, Yuta’s vests lights red, beeping thrice. He whirls on his heels, groaning when Doyoung emerges from the shadows, a look so malicious Taeil finds himself shrinking further into his little box.

“Wait, baby – ” Jaehyun fumbles when Yuta walks off, ignoring Doyoung’s triumphant laugh. “I swear I didn’t know – ”

“ _Don’t_ talk to me right now, Jung Jaehyun.”

“Wait, wait!” Jaehyun teeters after Yuta, game clearly forgotten. “I didn’t know!”

Taeil emerges from his hideout when he hears Jaehyun follow Yuta towards the exit, babbling noisily without a peep of response from the older boy. Doyoung points silently towards the left, and Taeil assumes it’s a hint to where Youngho’s hiding out.

“I’m going to find Taeyong,” he tells Taeil deviously, leaving with an air of darkness that has a rush climbing up Taeil’s spine.

Taeil winces when his shoes squeak against the floors noisily, perfectly awarding him the least capable of joining any sort of secret agent service. He follows Doyoung’s help towards the left of the maze-like court, gun out before him like his life depended on it. There’s no sign of Youngho anywhere to Taeil’s surprise, because how can someone that tall be hiding in a space this small?

He sticks close to the walls, heart rate through the roof when he turns the corner, scaring himself with an empty aisle. He tries to listen for Youngho’s footsteps or maybe even a glimpse of his hair over the cardboard walls but all of Taeil’s sense are heightened and he can’t keep focus on one.

Until he feels something cool on the back of his neck.

“Found you.”

_Crap._

Taeil turns, lowering his gun immediately. Youngho stands, hair a little messed up from how he’d been chasing after Jaehyun during the first minute into the game. He’s grinning smugly down at Taeil, chest heaving a little. The vest on him is a little small, and the white shirt under does nothing to hide Youngho's painfully attractive body. It should be illegal, how good Youngho looks in such an outfit with simple combat boots, and Taeil is embarrassed at how much he loves this look on Youngho.

He bites on his lip.

_Hot_.

A bulb lights.

“Come here,” he mumbles, pushing Youngho’s gun away brazenly and throwing his arms around Youngho’s neck. Stunned, Youngho drops the gun and it swings to hit his side, dangling from the strap across his shoulder and torso. He grabs onto Taeil, groaning loudly when Taeil kisses him harshly.

Taeil hooks a leg around Youngho’s thigh, panting into Youngho’s mouth when he thinks about how ravishing Youngho looks in skinny jeans – denim fabric just perfectly _snug_ around Youngho’s thighs.

“You’re seducing me,” Youngho accuses. He steps back when Taeil pushes forward, leading them until Youngho’s back hits a wall. “This isn’t fair.”

“Happy birthday,” Taeil answers. He attacks Youngho’s neck with wet kisses, and it’s his turn to grin when Youngho moans, sighing loudly. “I love you.”

“This is against – it must be against some set – some sort of rules.”

“No rules,” Taeil trails his hand down Youngho’s chest, reaching between them. His fingers reach for the trigger of his own gun. “Just you – love you.”

“Not here,” Youngho manages to say, hands flying to Taeil’s ass, completely distracted. “Taeil, oh _god_ – ”

In one swift move, Taeil pushes himself off Youngho and shoots Youngho squarely in the chest. His vest lights red, beeping thrice.

Youngho doesn’t register it until a full five seconds later, cheeks red even under the dark lighting. He’s staring at Taeil, shocked and clearly disappointed in himself for falling for such a trick – though, it _is_ Taeil and Youngho is never not a fool for him.

“I can’t believe you.” Youngho reaches forward for Taeil, who steps away with a bright laugh. He dodges every one of Youngho’s swipes until Youngho’s whining in defeat. Taeil is radiating joy when he hops forward to kiss Youngho sweetly on the cheeks. Youngho captures him in a hug to keep him from running off, “You’re _such_ a cheater.”

“Am not!” Taeil slings his gun away, going in for another kiss. Youngho is petulant when Taeil continues to beam up at him, “You fell for it on your own, baby.”

Youngho rolls his eyes. He laces their fingers together, “Well, I’d fall for you every day, if you didn’t already know.”

“I know,” Taeil grins. He gifts Youngho another kiss, “Love you.”

“You’re going to have to make this up to me somehow.” Youngho clicks his tongue, leading them towards the exit, “It _is_ my birthday, you know?”

Taeil squeezes Youngho’s hand and lets it go, “You’re just going to have to wait til’ tonight then, hm.”

And just as Youngho’s about to say something more, they hear Taeyong yell out from just steps away. He sounds like he’s being tackled to the ground, cries for help drowned out by Doyoung’s maniacal laugh. It’s pure evil and the clock on the wall rolls to a zero – signaling a win for Taeil’s team. Off to some corner, Taeil hears Yuta groan in defeat.

“I’m definitely not falling for this in the second round,” Youngho announces, nosing against Taeil’s crown.

Taeil shrugs, “We’ll see about that.” He pats Youngho on the butt, lifting his gun to shoot Youngho again. His vest makes a sad little noise, flashing blue.

The smile on Youngho’s face is _blinding_ and Taeil thinks he wouldn’t mind running around with Youngho in stinky vests and evil friends if he meant he could keep Youngho smiling like this forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was... completely pointless and i hope none of you wasted too much time reading this... just wanted to push something out for youngho's birthday! i always get a bad case of birthday blues during my own birthday so i think i just wanted to write something for it ;; 
> 
>  
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jenhyungs)


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